Fraternal Flames
by Icebicycle
Summary: Sisters Anna and Elsa might be two years apart at birth, but they still split and grow before returning to live and love, together. Elsa has been aware of her own feelings for a long time, but we join the story just after Anna realizes her own not too much later in life. AU modern Elsanna. Icest. M for later chapters (like 2 and on).
1. Chapter 1

Eight years prior, there had been a tension in Anna's right shoulder and both of her heels had been aching when she unlocked the apartment door after a long day of work and announced "I'm back," to an empty loft. Her fiancé, Hans, was nowhere to be seen in the darkened space and he had made off with her Smart TV, laptop, office desktop, microwave, emergency money mason-jar stash, and all of her jewelry besides the cubic zirconium on her left hand. So when Anna arrived to her house, she always felt that tension in her right shoulder twinge ever so slightly and bring the memory to the front of her juggled, racing thoughts.

The tension ebbed away when Anna opened the door to see her older sister playing Minecraft on the living room's wall-mounted monitor. She'd entered through the side door, where her kitchen was, so Elsa's blonde head stayed facing away from her. The longer Anna stood, the more the tension eased. She wasn't alone. She'd always have Elsa.

"Welcome back," the blonde lifted her hand off of the controller but didn't turn her head.

Anna smiled, "I'm back," she mumbled as she ducked her head and unloaded the cleaning supplies on the kitchen counter before heading back out the door for the next round. She turned off the idled car and brought in the meats and vegetables, next. Elsa was lactose intolerant, so she had to start getting Almond milk and fake cheese, integrating them into her meals.

Most people would expect to move back in with their parents when they lose their job, but Elsa and Anna lost theirs back in their early teenage years. Rather, their parents lost them. Sometimes meth houses on television news aren't always run-down; sometimes, they have white picket fences and a German shepherd named Noodles in the front yard. At the ripe age of 30, Elsa moved into her younger sister's house. Anna never requested rent and she never mentioned her sister's previous marriage, either. The perfect roommate, mostly. Anna had to admit that she had gotten a bit short tempered with Elsa since about ten years ago. Anna was 28 and should be used to it. But Elsa… she was just so… different, now. It was like the older woman was eternally anxious and that bled into Anna's empathetic vibe like koolaid on a bounty paper towel.

Honestly, Anna had never considered her sister to be such a home-maker. Growing up, the blonde's room had always been the sloppiest and there would be an eternal pile of laundry in the hall outside of her door. Vivid memories Anna had included witnessing her sister dig through the mountain of reeking clothing, find a bra she'd discarded toward the bottom, only to head back into her room with it and emerge moments later to head out into the night to some college party. Now, when Anna entered her own home, she'd have a 50% chance of getting nagged at for her cat, Olaf, getting white fur on her own leather couch and carpeted living room after the blonde had _just_ finished dusting.

Elsa was thinking Anna would probably need her help, bringing the groceries in, so she saved and quit her game just in time to see Anna stocking the fridge. The redhead was bent over and humming to herself. Anna was wearing very tight-fitting jeans and Elsa thought briefly, again, that she needed to move out and _soon_. Blushing, she turned to the toilet paper on the counter and delivered it to the bathroom closet. By the time she returned, Anna was starting to slice flank steak into strips. Prompted, she complimented, "That looks good. Fajitas and nachos, tonight?"

Smirking, her sister shot her a wink, "You wish, carb-ivore. I'm fixing salad, tonight. This is getting tossed in." Elsa kept staring at her profile, when Anna turned back to the task at hand. Sensing she was both not ready to stop staring and yet not willing to make things awkward: Elsa offered to chop the lettuce. "That would be helpful, thank you."

Peeling off the cellophane from the head of lettuce, the older sister didn't want the conversation to stop, just yet, and asked "So how was work?"

"Pretty good," Anna lied, "Just... you know… exhausting." She'd called in to the insurance office so she could have the day off. She spent the morning staring at the ocean from the pier. She didn't tell Elsa because she didn't want to see her face, yet. The blonde had always been the most beautiful girl in any room. Anna had held it against her, at one point in their youth. Back when Elsa tried to integrate her younger sister with her older friends, all the guys and all the girls would nod at her direction, but they would immediately return to looking at Elsa. It hurt, that Elsa had her beat on beauty. Anna thought she'd gotten over it, and she had indeed accepted it, but she had also never really looked at her sister. Then, last night, she did.

Anna hadn't gone to bed, yet, but she had been so tired that she laid down on the couch. It really hit her self-esteem, last night. Last night, her taller, prettier, softer-spoken sister had walked down from the stairs, into the kitchen, cracked the refrigerator open, and chugged the last of the almond milk straight from the carton. At first, she stifled a giggle. It was nice that her sister still had a bit of a slob within her. But illuminated by the light in the darkness, Elsa was only in her underwear. Long, pale legs, a tight ass covered barely peeking out of indigo lace across her back side and an unmatched blue sports bra tight over her chest and back. Platinum, curly hair was whisping all around in fluffy ringlets of her perfect, satisfied face... with a white, almond milk mustache. With the least amount of effort, her sister looked like a goddess and Anna started to feel a shift in how she saw her sister. Then Anna did not, as her sister did without seeing her, go back to bed. What Anna did was think.

She thought about everything.

Anna thought about how Elsa hadn't even been on a single date since she'd moved in with her. It had been three years, and not a single dating app or complaint or mention of someone new. Anna assumed it was because her sister was heartbroken and until last night, she hadn't given it another thought. But Anna then thought about how she, herself, hadn't done anything about dating, either. Ever since her sister had moved in, she had all libido, all the time, but without want of another human being. She'd take care of her own needs, which had originally been once a week, tops, and that had increased to every morning. It had always been triggered by the scent of Elsa's brewing coffee wafting up to her from downstairs.

Anna had thought about all of those countless parties with her sister's hand on her back. about how Elsa never left her alone even when either of them went to the restroom. How, when they fought, Elsa would always apologize and beg her to just hug her and forgive her; Anna had even known she had been in the wrong, wayyy in the wrong, sometimes. Then Anna thought about all of the girlfriends her sister went out with; fun, lively, red heads- all of them. Anna had hated all of them, passively thinking they weren't good enough for her sister, and ignored them all. Her wife had been full-blooded Irish.

She thought about it all at once, how the tension between her and her sister was sexual. It took Anna ten hours of processing until she finally believed it. She was only four hours into it when her auto-pilot drove to the pier. If a sea gull hadn't sounded off, she wouldn't have checked her phone in time to call in to work without a mark on her company card.

"Hey, Elsa," she bumped her sister's hip with her own, "get me the skillet, would you?" Anna watched her sister squat down to the cabinet under the stove and got an eyeful of cleavage. Anna wasn't gay, but... damn. For Elsa, she was; and that was something she'd only recently realized earlier in the day, but she was rolling with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa could tell that her sister was giving her much more attention than usual. Any time the blonde glanced up from her plate, her baby sister was already looking in her direction. With Anna's expression fluttering between study and amusement, Elsa was reminded of when the girl would solve a very large puzzle in front of her; one of the 5,000-piece reconstructions she had framed and hung on the wall in the hallway. This was, understandably, unnerving for the introvert within and adding density to the feeling of guilt she had as she harbored her affection for the red head. Luckily, Anna was easily distracted by conversation and Elsa had just the topic.

"Wednesday," was all she told the younger sibling. Elsa shoveled a forkful of salad into her mouth before Anna questioned her further. If she had continued, Anna would have interrupted her.

Anna's eyes had gone from pensive to sharp as she tried to change her own thoughts to fit Elsa's. "Tomorrow?"

"No," her sister replied, "next Wednesday."

Now eyebrows knitted together as Anna focused. "Well..." Anna drifted off as she pondered. She had adjusted her usual posture in the chair from leaning forward relaxed to straightening up her back and squaring her shoulders. "What happens next Wednesday?"

Now Anna would sit and listen, Elsa knew. She swallowed, grinned, and elaborated, "I start my orientation at Century Link Investments."

The smile was not as immediate as Elsa thought it would be, but Anna had been focused on something else only a short while ago. Once it came, Anna was beaming brighter than a lighthouse. "I'm so happy for you! Where are you heading for work?"

A little proud, now, the elder sister also sat up a bit straighter in her chair. "They agreed to set up an office for me in the East End rather than have me commute to their base headquarters."

As if it were possible, Anna looked even happier as she asked, "It's online? Could you set up here at home?"

Elsa was taken back, at that. "I... I did ask that, but they wanted a big security system, since it's off-base." All her sister said as she relaxed again was a small hum to herself. Elsa would swear the girl had donned a disappointed look on her face and wouldn't let it go. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Anna looked back up at her and supported, "I'm glad you're getting back into the career you love. I am. It's just..." Anna struggled to find a way to reach her sister without showing her hand. The longer she took, the more she watched her sister's wind leave her sails so that pressured her into giving up and biting the bullet: "You're not moving out, are you?"

Hearing the despair in her little sister's voice, Elsa half-smiled and it was completely natural. She couldn't keep eye contact, though. "I might, actually. I'm surprised you haven't already kicked me out."

The redhead's mouth dropped open in a gasp and Elsa reflected the younger woman hadn't really started on her meal, yet. "Me kick you out? You're the one who's been knackering me about keeping the house up! This place doesn't even feel like it's mine, with you. It's always- 'Anna, this bill is due on this day,' and 'Pay your homeowner's fee and put aside your monthly property tax, Anna.' I'm surprised you haven't bought the house out from under me. You power wash the drive, clear out the gutters-"

Elsa watched her sister work herself into a froth, for a while, but when Anna started raising her voice, she laced their fingers. Anna started panting, immediately focused on her older sister's eyes. It had to be Anna's fault, that Elsa was in love with her; who else could look at her as though she were the center of the universe? So much trust. Palpable, unconditional love. "Thank you for appreciating me. It's the least I could do, with you letting me stay here."

All the temper left that fiery girl and was replaced with sunshine. "You're welcome, Sis. Literally any time."

Despite Elsa having released Anna's fingers, Anna just altered their grasp. Nothing more was said, for a few moments. Just Anna not letting go and Elsa not resisting. And the youngest was rethinking her plan. Just letting it go. Letting them stay like they were; Elsa was getting a job, now. She'd be gone, soon. Maybe the feelings would leave along with her sister. But she'd be alone in the house. And that kink would never leave her neck when she got home because no one would answer when she opened the door. Those were such selfish thoughts, she knew. If she followed through with her plan, it would be for so many other reasons than love. Love would be one of the reasons, though. That was what steeled her nerve. Anna allowed a twinkle of mischief into her eyes as she peered back up into Elsa's. She watched her sister's look of confusion turn to blushing curiosity. "Could we play a game tonight?" she asked as she trailed the tips of her fingers lightly along the back of Elsa's trapped hand.

Elsa swallowed salad that wasn't in her mouth as her caught hand becoming sweaty. Scratch that, both hands were equally clammy and her face only became redder with the realization. Of course her little sister didn't mean _those_ kinds of games. Nervously, she chuckled, "You don't even know the controls for Minecraft, what were you hoping we could play? You had a panic attack driving in Grand Theft Auto, and you weren't even on a time crunch."

"You're so right," Anna heaved a sigh a little too dramatically. "I have no idea how to play video games. It's a shame so many ten-year-olds can defeat me. Guess I'm too busy, y'know... having a life." She gestured dismissively- with the hand that had been teasing her sister- as she smirked.

Forgetting their clasp, Elsa took the bait with a sour tone: "Oh, please. You just don't have the patience even basic ten-year-olds can bear."

"Okay, then," Anna lamented, her eyebrows lifting. "Let's just see who has more patience, in this family." She re-laced their fingers from across the table. "If you let go, then I win. If I let go, then you win."

Brows knitted together, Elsa couldn't help but state the obvious. "Anna. We'll have to go to the bathroom, together. I have to go right now, actually."

"Oh?" Anna asked. "I don't mind, I'll go with you."

Rolling her eyes, Elsa released their fingers. "This is ridiculous. We're adults, Anna," the blonde argued, not looking back as she got up to bus her dishes.

"Well, we may be adults, but that was the fastest competition I've won since we were kids." Finally, Anna started eating her own meal in earnest.

Her blonde hairs arose on the back of her neck as Elsa clattered her plate and fork in the sink.

"Best two out of three." Elsa muttered as she haughtily strut down the hall and turned into the bathroom. When she came out, Anna was standing at the door. Elsa reached for her hand and Anna drew her own back. "What?" she asked, insulted. "I totally washed them."

Anna stuck her tongue out, shouldering past her older sister. "You're not getting an unfair advantage on a rematch from me."

When Elsa realized she was waiting at the door a little too long and listening a little too closely, her embarrassment was eclipsed by rage as she heard the shower start running water. Banging on the door, she shouted "'Unfair advantage,' my ass!"

With her own voice raised to carry over the water pressure, Anna answered, "For the love of- YOU TAKE MORNING SHOWERS!"

Embarrassment made a hell of a comeback, on Elsa. She stood there, facing the doorway, frozen in place with her face on fire. She was still standing there when she heard the faucet turn off and as she was turning away, she heard the door open and felt her hand interlace with Anna's again. Anna's soft, warm, damp hand. When she pivoted back to face her, Anna was holding the bath towel in place with her other hand with her hair spun up and into another towel tucked high on her head.

"Still unfair?" Anna asked, innocently.

_Entirely_, Elsa thought.


End file.
